09/04/2014 Spotlight

expenses claims, saying she had Police in Devon and Cornwall fail to

meet their own target to reduce overall crime in a year.

Good evening. Tonight we'll challenge the Police

and Crime Commissioner to fhnd out why a reduction of 2% hasn't

happened. It is not really ` matter of failure. It is about setting a

more realistic target for the year ahead. A man is `` there is a siege

in Teignmouth. It's thought a man armed with a

sword, two machete knives and a hammer is inside.

And not a murderer, the wifd of the Plymouth based Royal Marine serving

life for killing an Afghan fighter speaks for the first time about the

case. Devon and Cornwall police h`ve

missed their flagship crime reduction target. The force wanted

to cut the number of offencds by 2% in the year to last month. But the

total has actually increased slightly. Robbery, burglary of

homes, vehicle offences and criminal damage are all down. But dolestic

abuse has risen by almost 20% and sexual offences are up 15%. The

force says both are probablx due to increased reporting. We'll hear from

the Police and Crime Commissioner in a moment. First here's our home

affairs correspondent Simon Hall. Life is much improved for this woman

since she escaped from domestic abuse. She is concerned abott rising

crime figures because she works to help support fellow victims. I worry

that there are not enough police on the ground and when you are in an

emergency situation the response times vary. Working with other

survivors of domestic abuse, their stories and their experiencd with

the police have been quite inconsistent so some have h`d

excellent service and others have really felt left down and almost put

in danger by the response from the police. Alcohol`related disorder

remains a significant probldm for Devon and Cornwall police according

to the figures. Domestic abtse and sexual offences have risen

significantly, contributing to the crime reduction target being

missed. We are seeing crime at an all`time low is Vince we recorded

crime in this way. Last year and this year we have almost ex`ctly the

same number of crimes reported so the general picture is stathc. This

missing of the target come `fter millions of pounds of budget cuts

and the loss of hundreds of officers. The concern has always

been that these cuts would hamper the force's ability to fight crime.

These figures will only add to those fears, particularly when thdre are

more budget cuts to come. Well, the man who holds the force

accountable on behalf of thd public and sets police priorities hs the

Police and Crime Commissiondr Tony Hogg. I asked him why efforts to

reduce overall crime had gone wrong. What probably went wrong in

technical terms is that we set a target of 2% reduction, a t`rget of

overall crime. We have changed that for the year ahead to acknowledge

that some crimes that we want to drive downwards and some crhmes we

need to see increased reporting The increased reporting, in domdstic by

an some sexual violence, is an important thing to achieve. It gives

people confidence to report but increasing that area we of course

drive the apparent crime level up. You have failed to meet the target

this time so you are saying you will change the target was Mac I will

explain it again. We had a leasure that dealt with total crime. Part of

that, in the sexual offences area, we have encouraged increased

reporting. That crime area has been forced up. It is not really a matter

of failure, it is a matter of learning from the first`year in

office and setting a more intelligent target for the xear

ahead. Some might look at it from moving from a clear and bold target

of reducing crime by 2% to the system you have tried to explain to

us which I think a lot of pdople will find is more complicatdd, are

you trying to muddy the watdrs so no one can make a direct comparison in

the next year? If anything we are trying to simplify and look at crime

figures more intelligently. There will be for the year ahead ` basket

of crime areas, and this is in my police and crime plan, which is

available to the public and therefore transparent, a basket of

measures where we are trying to drive crime down and I'm sure we

will be successful. It is vdry easy where it comes to domestic `buse and

sexual violence to hide behhnd the idea that it is down to increased

reporting but these are Inc `` significant increases, it c`nnot

just be down to increased rdporting, there must be more crime happening

as well? I agree with you. Ht is a very complex area and neithdr my

office nor the police nor the Inspectorate of Constabularx do at

the moment understands the hncrease in rates and sexual crimes, they are

not clear on the true drivers of this. If you do not know for certain

where these crimes have increased, presumably you have no idea how to

bring them down either? There was a recent inspection of domesthc abuse

in the Devon and Cornwall police force and achieve current or, in

charge of the operational shde of policing, has agreed to provide an

action plan to deal with thd issues of domestic abuse. He has not

concluded that plan yet but the primary thing is to get the people

who are suffering these criles to report the issues to the police

Thank you for joining us. Armed police have surrounded a house

in Teignmouth after receiving reports about a man with a Samurai

sword. A house in Fourth Avdnue has been cordoned off and policd

negotiators are speaking to the man. Sophie Pierce is there for ts

tonight. Sophie what's the latest? The emergency services were called

here at about 1:45pm today `mid reports of a man being armed with a

samurai sword and a hammer `nd making threats. He is now in the

house behind me, the group of flats behind me, and arms negotiators are

trying to persuade him to come out. This has caused a lot of interest

with the local people in thd street. If you police cars started to arrive

in the helicopter was hoverhng and before long there was about six or

seven police cars, two ambulances, maybe three, a fire engine `nd then

plainclothes policeman and rifles that looks like machine guns and

before long the road was closed and we did not know what was gohng on

basically. The negotiations have been going on for nearly seven hours

now and they have got speci`list teams here with Taser 's and

firearms. We have also seen officers with riot shields going to be flat

to be ready should anything happen. We have been talking to the police

about what could possibly h`ve caused this. At this moment I am

confident that no members of the public are in any danger

whatsoever. Anyone coming to the area should avoid it and we have a

partial road closure here. Ht is causing some concern for residents.

We have just spoken to the hnspector for the latest and he says there is

no sign of a resolution as xet. They are going to have to stay hdre for

as long as it takes. Thank you for joining us. Wd will

continue to monitor developlents on that story throughout the programme.

Police officers investigating the death of Alan Jeal from Waddbridge

in Cornwall have appealed to the gay community for help. The

64`year`old's unclothed bodx was found washed up on Perranporth Beach

in February. A sock was found in his mouth. Officers say bank cards and

his ipod are missing. David George has this report.

Alan Jeal's body was found on the beach on the 25th of February. He

was recognised by relatives after the police released an artist 's

impression. They say murder, suicide and an accident are the thrde

options they are considering. Detectives say a jacket found nearby

which contained his wallet hs not the one he seems to be wearhng in

the CCTV film. It shows him waiting at a bus stop the day beford. It is

important to us to find a j`cket he was actually wearing on the evening

before he died. Is there anx significance to the fact th`t these

bank cards and credit cards are missing? It is significant hn that

we do have his wallet but wd do not have the cards that were possibly

within it, Barclaycard and ` current account. Officers have seizdd and

viewed hundreds of hours of CCTV. They have spoken to passengdrs on

the bus routes he may have tsed They have asked for help from the

gay community although they say they have no evidence that Alan Jeal was

gay. Six weeks on and the holiday season has started here. 20

detectives are working on this case but they still want help from the

public, they want to know where Alan Jeal was going on the evening of the

24th of February, who he was meeting and how his body ended up jtst hear

the next day. `` just hear the next day.

An accountant who defrauded HM Revenue and Customs of more than ?2

million by misadvising clients has been jailed for seven years at Truro

Crown Court. 48`year`old Silon Terry Pearce from Truro was found guilty

on 19 counts. The court heard he understated the earnings of clients

and overstated their expensds in order to reduce tax bills.

The Isles of Scilly are havhng to install their own sewerage system at

a cost of ?11 million in order to meet European regulations. The

current system is around 80`years`old and at the momdnt raw

sewage is discharged into the sea. The local council is bidding for

money from the Government's Regional Growth Fund to complete the work.

People in the north Devon town of Great Torrington are holding a

parish poll, or mini`referendum today on whether the beds at the

local Community Hospital should stay open. The NHS wants to treat people

at home instead but there h`s been strong opposition from some local

people. A result is expected later this evening.

Later in the programme: Full steam ahead, one of the largest working

steam ships in Europe arrivds for a refit.

And we go behind the scenes as one of the region's most exclushve

gardens prepares to open its gates to the public. The organiser of a

fireworks display held next to a motorway on the night that seven

people died in a crash has been giving evidence today. Geoffrey

Counsell had previously been cleared of health and safety offencd. At

today's hearing he said there was nothing unusual about the dhsplay or

the amount of smoke that it created. Today he would speak publicly for

the first time about the evdnts of November the 4th 2011. The criminal

case against Geoffrey Counsdll in the centre here collapsed l`st

September before he was even required to give evidence. To give

evidence. Today, as organisdr of the display right next to the motorway,

he faced two hours of questhoning, mainly about how much smoke the

display had created. Geoffrdy Counsell told in quest that he had

20 years experience of runnhng public firework displays. Hd

accepted that the event had created smoke. Of course there was smoke, he

said, these are fireworks. But he added that it was no more than

normal. Under cross`examination by a lawyer representing the famhly of

one of the victims that night he was asked, were you aware of thd effects

of smoke combining with fog? Geoffrey Counsell replied, no. Then

he was asked, isn't it common sense not to let off fireworks whdn it is

foggy? Geoffrey Counsell replied, no, I do not think that is common

sense. Seven people died here and the coroner said without dotbt that

drivers became disorientated when they entered an area of redtced

visibility but the question is whether it was fog or firework

smoke. After the hearing thd family of two of the victims say that the

rules governing firework displays ought to be changed. Public events

should be licensed. For all of these different things we have, c`rs,

guns, fishing rods, we have to have licenses for but how ridiculous that

we can play with explosives, anybody can do it and it is fine. It was the

families that the coroner h`d in mind when he ended the inqudst with

a minute's silence for the seven victims. He said he would ddliver

his final conclusion on the events surrounding their deaths next week.

The case of the Plymouth based Royal Marine sentenced to life for

murdering an injured Afghan fighter will go before the Appeal Court

tomorrow. And tonight a BBC documentary will look into Sergeant

Blackman's case. Our reportdr Anna Varle has more.

As I watched those men depart, I could never imagine the fatd that

awaited them. Of these Marines, three were to die and 20 were to be

seriously injured and one, eventually to be known to everybody

as Marina a, was to create `` commit a battle feed `` battlefield crime

so serious that it created shock waves around the world. Was the

killing a tactical decision, a mercy killing or a battlefield exdcution

prompted by revenge and hatred? The act of a man traumatised by war Was

the killing a tactical decision a mercy killing or a battlefidld

execution prompted by revenge and hatred? The act of a man tr`umatised

by war. It is not just wanthng to know what happened, I need to know.

I need to know why Sergeant Blackman did what he did, which makes no

sense on the face of it. It is not just wanting to know what h`ppened,

I need to know. I need to know why Sergeant Blackman did what he did,

which makes no sense on the face of it. He was a very reputable Royal

Marines with an incredible record and something cracked so, something

went he was a very reputabld Royal Marines with an incredible record

and something cracked so, something went for him to do for him to do

what he did. Blackman was the first soldier to be convicted of lurder

since the Second World War. The Afghan was shot in the chest.

Is your husband a murderer? Absolutely not. No way, no shape, no

form. Categorically no. Even though he is convicted as one? I do not

know that I know what definds somebody as a murderer but

everything that defines him points me and everybody else in colpletely

the opposite direction. Sergeant Blackman's appeal on his life

sentence will begin tomorrow. One of the South West's leading

businesses could end up in new hands. Dorset Cereals, based on

Prince Charles' Poundbury estate, has grown from humble beginnings

into a multi`million pound business. But as Simon Clemison reports

there's concern about what hmpact a potential sale will have on the

workforce and the Dorchester factory.

For a generation after generation, companies have been competing to get

their cereal in your breakf`st bowl. One match to fracture is selling

25,000 `` 25 million packets back to America which brought us sole of the

biggest brands. Dorset Cere`ls is even selling muesli to the sweats.

It is a sense of pride for the people of Dorset to have Dorset

attached to a quality product. The company has grown up and st`yed here

and people identify it as a company that other companies can aspire

towards. These recipes were begun at a Christmas `` kitchen tabld. The

boxes are now exported to 70 countries. The breakfast cereal

accounts for more than a qu`rter of the muesli market and in thd past

year it was bought by 2 million households in the UK. With those

figures it is easy to see why the company is ripe for takeover. It is

not clear who the interested buyers are all weather sailors in the thing

but if it is, any new owner plans will be examined carefully. It could

be a British company has sp`re capacity and they may have spare

oats and they may be happy to close a factory to cut costs but ht may be

that they want to expand thd capacity. Away from the factory

floor thereafter some highlx controversial `` confidenti`l

negotiations taking place. Moving to sport now and Yeovil

Town's bid to avoid relegathon from the Championship was dealt ` severe

blow last night after a 3`2 defeat at Charlton Athletic. But Plymouth

Argyle's chances of reaching the League Two play`offs have bden

revived with a 2`1 win at Ndwport County. BBC Somerset's Chris

Spittles and BBC Radio Devon's Drew Savage describe the action.

Yeovil Town equalised! A grdat advantage from the referee.

It is an outswinger and into the six yard box. A goal and into the back

of the net. Charlton have rdgained the advantage here.

Fraser on the right`hand side, Baxter defender into the box. I am

afraid it is a disastrous start to the second half for Yeovilton.

Into the box. Yeovil are back in it! It is 3`2 from close range.

It is a goal for Plymouth Argyle! Into the penalty area and onto his

left foot. A great goal frol the Plymouth Argyle captain. Thd

play`offs could be back on. Ship enthusiasts are in for a bit of

treat in Cornwall, as one of the largest working steam ships in

Europe has arrived in Falmotth for a major refit. Whilst most historic

steam ships are now museums the SS Shieldhall is a working vessel,

taking visitors on sea trips. Eleanor Parkinson has been on board

to talk to her crew. SS Shieldhall was built 60 `` 6

years ago and she was built in Glasgow. Initially she transported

raw sewage out to sea but rdcently she has been used as a living museum

and visitors can get a tastd of life at sea with a steam powered vessel

above and below deck. There is nothing like her left in thd world

as far as I know. What is the attraction of steam? People love

steam engines but what is it about a steam vessel like this? It hs the

same thing, it is in this dowager. It is that wonderful thing that

people have about this longhng to see the past and understand where it

all came from. From the bridge we can talk to the other important part

of the ship, the engine rool. Hello, can we come down and speak to the

superintendent engineer? Norman knows the engine room insidd out, he

has worked here for 28 years. There are three fires in each boiler and

each boiler contains about 20 tonnes of water. It takes a tremendous

amount of heat to heat up w`ter up to change it to steam. When we come

up from cold, we take about three days to raise steam before we have

enough energy in the boilers to drive the ship. 60 years of work

have taken its toll and she now needs a full refit. Plenty `nd blah

`` painting and blasting to preserve the steel. A lot of steel whll be

replaced and it will all be riveted, the first time we have had riveting

in the yard for a long time. The National Lottery is funding most of

the work and it costs ?1.4 lillion. She will be fit to carry passengers

for another 25 years. One of the South West's most

exclusive gardens is opening to the public for charity this weekend

Tregothnan near Truro allows visitors to explore its amazing

collection of plants just once a year. BBC Radio Cornwall's James

Churchfield has been along to discover what visitors can dxpect to

see. After the grey skies and wet winter,

the sunshine is back in Cornwall to reveal the charms of one of the

county's most exclusive gardens at Tregothnan near Truro. This man has

lived here all his life and said the grounds are looking particularly

good this spring. It is lovdly to show it off once a year bec`use the

guys here do an awful lot of work. Having a target like opening the

garden means everything is done properly and smartened up once a

year which we probably would do for ourselves. Every year, the gardens

at Tregothnan are open to the public for charity for just one wedkend.

And despite the winter storls, the grounds have been relativelx

unscathed. Yes, there have been little bits of breakages through

plants, other than plants knocked over. The wetness has affected some

of the evergreens, the conifers And the roots have been saturatdd and

they have blown over. But bx and large, things have been fantastic.

Among the shrubs and trees, visitors can see this rhododendron, thought

to be the biggest of its kind growing outside of India. The estate

also has this example of a tea plantation grown on the slopes of

what is known as the Himalaxan Valley. The Open Garden Weekend at

Tregothnan is billed as the largest such event in Britain. Visitors can

explore these beautiful grotnds on both Saturday and Sunday from ten

until five. What beautiful flowers. Lovdly.

Great spring weather today. It has been cloudy places btt the

sun has been out in a large part of the reason and `` region and it has

felt like spring. All of thd leaves and flowers are starting to come

out. The four `` the forecast tomorrow is a bit more cloudy. It

has been rather cloudy and ` small chance of passing showers. For most

of us it will be another drx day. Notice that all of the fine weather

across as an Spain and France has a lot of sunshine, we still h`ve the

area of high pressure but it is weakening. It starts to retreat a

bit further into the Atlanthc, allowing the weather system to come

in late in the day tomorrow. It is an overnight feature and will be

gone by the time most of us are up on Friday. It will bring in clearer

skies so on Friday morning there should be sunshine. The satdllite

picture has more detail. Yot can see the cloud bubbling up through the

day. On the north coast of Devon we had some lovely weather with blue

skies and a gentle breeze. The leaves are now beginning to show on

the trees and it looks fant`stic. Very light wind but those wd have

seen on the coastline are drawn in some cold air so temperaturds today

have been a bit disappointing. Some blue sky for some of us and others

have had a fair amount of cloud Overnight in the cloud will return

and there will be some holes in the cloud through the night which allows

the mist and fog to form. It will not be very thick. It is sh`llow and

should be gone by the morning. Overnight temperatures are still

low. Three or four degrees hn the countryside. Tomorrow is much more

cloudy. There will still be some sunshine now and again. Thick enough

for a few light showers but not many. For the most time it `` for

the most part it is a dry d`y but cloudy at times. Similar

temperatures to recently. A better chance to see some sunny spdlls in

the Isles of Scilly. Times of high water at Plymouth. Surfing, not a

great deal. The beach is a fairly good place to be. A quick look at

the coastal waters forecast. The windows from the west or north west.

Variable and no more than a forced to three. Mainly fair with generally

good visibility out of sleep. The outlook continues drive right the

way through and includes thd weekend. Thank you for your lovely

photographs and them coming. Have a nice evening.

Before we go, we will go back to the scene in Teignmouth. This is the

view with the emergency services and the police surrounding a hotse in

the town after reports of a man with a samurai sword. We underst`nd that

police negotiators are conthnuing to talk to a man and we will kdep you

up`to`date throughout the evening in our figures `` late news if there

are any further developments. Thank you for your company. Have a

good evening. 'But mostly,

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